Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday tabled in Parliament his long-promised job descriptions for Cabinet ministers and other legislators, stating that they are part of his Administration’s push to ensure accountability and performance from the political directorate.

The documents — a Green Paper for parliamentarians and a White Paper for ministers — set out the strategic objective of the posts, their purpose, reporting and accountability, the key deliverables and responsibility areas, performance standards, competencies, contacts, and the working conditions.

He said the Parliament, through its joint select committee, will be invited to note the approved job description for ministers and further develop and refine the proposed job description for Members of Parliament.

“The country must have a clear sense of what is required of parliamentarians and ministers,” Holness said. “In proposing a job description, we are not suggesting anything new or outside our laws and constitution. However, few people have a full appreciation of what the appointment requires. It is hoped that this job description will help members of the public better appreciate and understand the roles and responsibilities.”

The job descriptions come five weeks after Finance Minister Nigel Clarke announced massive salary increases for the political directorate, some as high as 200 per cent, that sparked public outrage, but has won support from some organisations and public figures.

The Government was also criticised for implementing the pay increases without performance targets and a job evaluation system. However, in the immediate aftermath of Clarke’s announcement, Holness had said that written job descriptions for ministers and parliamentarians were already in place and would be tabled in the House shortly.

On Tuesday, he reiterated that in his first term in office he had announced his intention to have job letters published for ministers. He also said that, internally, a process of developing a performance-based pay system to be first applied to permanent secretaries had started.

This, he said, was running parallel with the consultancy work on the public sector compensation review.

“After careful consideration it was agreed with the Ministry of Finance that it would be a more efficient use of resources and more effective management to roll all efforts into universal reform of the public service, including the job letters for ministers and the executive level performance-based system,” Holness said.

“As a result, in 2019, instructions were given to prepare job descriptions for ministers, and the Transformation Implementation Unit submitted a draft in 2021 after the dislocation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The notion that the reform is piecemeal, or puts the cart before the horse is totally wrong. While we have not been able to communicate all that we have been doing, as several elements are not mature to the point where they could become reality, the transformation unfolding before our eyes is the most significant and comprehensive effort ever undertaken in the history of Jamaica to achieve an efficient and effective public sector,” Holness argued.

He said the Government is committed to the highest standards of governance, which includes the conduct and performance of ministers, Members of Parliament, the members of the civil service, and the broader public service.

Maintaining his strong defence of the salary increases, Holness — who had declined to take his in an obvious attempt to soothe public backlash — said, “The restructuring and realignment of public sector compensation is just the beginning of a multi-year journey towards improving the efficiency and effectiveness of both the administrative and political arms of our public service.

“There are those who hold the view that public service, particularly the political side of it, must be a ‘calling’, and those who offer themselves must do so without expectation of commensurate remuneration. There are others who believe that there is no need to properly pay public servants, particularly politicians, because they will ‘supplement’ their incomes through informal, opaque, or corrupt means. This is the commonly shared thinking that has driven our approach to compensating holders of public office — both administrative and political — in this country since our Independence. Where has it got us?

“While we must acknowledge that these views are not without some groundings in our history and lived experience, there comes a time in the life of any society where we must approach the problem from a different angle and apply new thinking and perspectives.”

He said if Jamaica is to achieve its immense potential, the philosophy that has guided our approach to public sector compensation since Independence must change.

“It is crucial to recognise the importance of ‘professionalising’ the public service through commensurate compensation and enforcement of standards, rather than relying on the altruism of the public servant and chance that they will make the best effort in serving the country,” Holness said.

“While the spirit of selflessness and dedication to the nation are necessary and admirable attributes, depending on them alone is not a sustainable approach to building a competent and efficient public sector. Offering competitive and fair compensation is necessary in improving the motivation of the officeholder,” the prime minister argued.